The Lawrence school board will meet Wednesday to interview a second finalist candidate for interim superintendent, Thomas Ahart, of Iowa.
School board members are interviewing candidates to serve as interim superintendent for the 2024-25 year while they search for a permanent replacement.
Superintendent Anthony Lewis’ last day will be Aug. 9. He was selected to lead Durham, North Carolina public schools.
“A 33-year veteran educator, Dr. Ahart has provided consulting services to superintendents and leadership teams for the Council for the Great City Schools since 2022,” according to a news release from the district. “He previously served Des Moines Public Schools, the largest school district in Iowa, for 14 years, including a decade as its superintendent, and holding associate superintendent and principal roles.”
“… His prior experience includes service as a director of human resources, director of instruction, and a high school language arts teacher in Ankeny, Marshalltown, and Denison Community Schools and a school improvement consultant for the Heartland Area Education Agency, all of Iowa,” according to the release. “He also taught high school language arts in the Roaring Fork School District in Colorado. Dr. Ahart earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver and master’s, education specialist, and doctorate degrees at Drake University.”
Board members interviewed the first finalist, current Deputy Superintendent Larry Englebrick, during a special meeting on Monday.
The board will meet for an executive session, or closed-door meeting, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31.
The board members plan to announce another finalist candidate this week, according to the release. They plan to fill the interim position by Aug. 12.
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Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
